Ignition device for internal-combustion engines.



IGNITION DE Patented May 2, 1916.

JIWTNESSES By ,4 TTOR/I/E Y8 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK V. EASTMAN. OF ST. PETERSBURG. FLORIDA,

ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-TWENTIETH TO ALICE M. BALLENGER AND ONE-TWENTIETH TO ARTHUR G. EASTMAN. BOTH OF ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA. RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

AND THREE-FOURTHS TO FRED R. EASTMAN. OF GRAND Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented M21312. 19 16.

Application filed June 15. 1914. Serial No. 845.121.

He it known that l. l u.\.\'n Y. EAR'IMAX. a (ltlZttt ot the l uited States. and a resident ol St. letershurg. in the eountv of Pinellas and State of Florida. have made eertain new and useful lmprovements in Ignition llevii-es t'or lnternahtouihustion lingines. ol' \vhieh the following is a speeilieati u.

My invention relates to improvements in itl'uition deviees for internal e mliu tion en gines. and it eomists in the eonstruetions. eoinhiinitions. and arrangements herein de- 't'l'lllttl and elaimed.

.\n ohieet of my invention i. to pro\ide a deviee ll) means of whi h eheaper fuel oils for operating internal eomhustion engines may he used without the usual ignition trouhles heretofore arising from the use of sueh t'uels.

A further object of my invention i to prevent the deposit of carbon \vhieh ordinarily oeeurs in internal eomhustion engines of the common type.

further ohjeet of my invention in to provide meanx for preventing the disa trons elleets of moisture upon the ignition system.

Other ohieetx and advantages will appear in the following speeilieation and the novel features of the devit'e will he partieularlv pointed out in the appended elaiius.

My invention is illu trated in the :lt't'OltP panving drawing forming part of this application in which the ligure is a eentral set"- tion through the deviee. showing its applieation to the cylinder of an internal eomhuation engine.

In Carrying out lll invention I provide a spherical easing having an external wall 1 and an internal wall '3 spared apart from the wall I to provide a water jaeketor an oil vaporizing jacket 3. depending upon the manner in which-the deviee is used. The spherical casing is provided with a threaded extension 4 which is arranged to enter the threaded opening 5 in the cylinder 6. this opening being the one. generally used for insertion of the ordinary spark plug.

The spherieal easing has a laterally ex tending threaded portion T whieh is arranged to receive a spark plug 8 of any suitable t vpe. e vlindrieal eXtenSion f is also threaded to receive a hod v portion 10 of an auxiliarv t'uel intake whieh will he dewrrhed in detail hereiuat'ter.

will he een from the drawing the ex teu on l i hollow and eounuunii-ates with the interior ll of the spherieal (:hlllif. valve mend-er 1; ia arranged to eat at the liottom ol' the exten ion t. This valve inemlier 1 earried at the lltltltllll ol a hollow ovlnnlriral ttlll l l whit-h pa 'e.\ upwa'rdlv through the hollow extensi n l. tlil'otlL'lt a ventral guide memlier ll whi h extendQpart \\a v into the (handler ll. and eommunirates at it top with a T- \haped \alve ea iug l5. lhe latter is prmided with a needle val\e l i. whirh nia v he set hv a knurled head 17 and erured in it.\ adju ted po itiou hv means of a lt)t'l\' nut l The needle valve eontrul an inlet port l lip-nipple i int 2 furni he means of attaelunent of a llexihle eonduit "ll. 'lhe \alve 1; is held normallv in (-losed position lv means of a spring 2'. \vhieh hear at one end on a rap 2 earried lrv the easing and at the ther end on an adju talile nut '24 having a eone painon loek nut 23. A portion of the valve stem 1 is threaded to ae ommodate these. nuts.

The auxiliary fuel intake eompriws the lmdv portion l mentioned heretofore to whit-h is serewed a ra ing llltlll ltl' I: having an inlet i This ea ing memher is pro vided with an iuwardlv extending guide memher 'JT having a stem 1H \vhieh hears at it. inner end a valve 29. arranged to engage a valve seat 3 at the end of the memher 10. As will he seen from the drawing the valve stem 2 has an enlarged portit'ii 3t which is provided with radiallv extending openings t leading from the interior of the valve stem. spring 33 is disposed on the interior of the valve *ttlll and hears at one end on a M'reu plug S-l and at the other on a hall valve 2%.). \Ylllt'lt is adapted to ('lo e the hollow stem 2? The outer end of the stem '2 eonnnunieates with a valve easing h: which has a needle \alve 3T arranged to govern an intake port 3. A spring 39 bears at one end on the easing memher i3 and at the opposite end on the adjustable nut 40 \\'lll('ll is provided with a t'ompanion l()('l\' nut 41.

Front the foregoing description of the tit) various parts of the device the operation thereof may be readily understood.

In the drawing 1 have indicated the power expansion area of the cylinder by and the piston by P. Fuel is designed to be introduced into this power expansion chamber A direct from the carbureter. as in engines of theordinary type. This fuel. however. may be of a lower grade than that which is ordinarily necessary. 1t may -be a mixture of gasolene. kerosene. distilled or crude oil. vapor and air. or oxygen in combustible proportions, or it may be a gas such as natural fuel gas or illuminating gas with air and moisture in combustible proportions. or it may be a mixture of any of these combustible combinations overcharged with air and of slow burning temper. \Yhen the latter fuel is used an additionatfuel adjustment may be made by introducing the fuel through the hollow stem tllj.

The auxiliary fuel may be introduced through the inlet 3h, which is regulated by the needle valve 37. This t'uel may be alcohol, gasolene. acetylene gas, or other suitable fuel, either under pressure or gravity feed. Air is designed to enter the inlet so to combine with the fuel in combustible proportions.

Let us assume that the engine takes its intake stroke. This will open the valve 12 against the tension of the spring 122 and will cause a vacuum in the interior of the spherical casing 2 whereupon the valve 29 will become unseated. thus permitting the fuel to pass the ball valve 35 and through the passages 32 where it will con'ibine with the air coming through the inlet :26 and will thus enter the chamber ll as a combustible gas or vapor. On the compression stroke of the engine the fuel already in the explosion chamber A is compressed. .\t the proper time the spark passes between the terminal of the spark plug 6 aml this mixture is exploded. This charge l term the percussion charge, since explosion automatically opens the valve 1; and ignites the gas in the expansion area A. The provision of a combustible gas which is already ignited insures the positive ignition of the gas in the power area A. even though the latter may be of such composition as would not ordinarily ignite by the passage of the electric spark.

It will be understood that the percussion charge opens the valve 12 early in the explosion. That is to say the gas is still burning as it passes into the power area. This not only tends to ignite the gas in the power area by direct contact of the burning gases, but it also increases the compression in the power area and tends to bring it nearer to the point where gas in the power area will ignite under compression alone.

It will be noted that this device acts in fact as an auxiliary carbureter. That is to say. the mixture of the air and fuel of the percussion charge takes place after the valve 25 is opened. this mixture being effected within the chamber ll in which the spark plug 8 is located.

I claim:

1. In an ignition device for internal combustion engines, a double wall casing having a threaded extension arranged to enter the spark plug opening of a cylinder. said casing having laterally extending threaded extensions. a spark plug carried by one of said laterally extending threaded extensions. an inlet plug carried by the other laterally extending threaded extension. said inlet plug being provided with a movable hollow valve stem having laterally extending openings and being provided at its end with a valve arranged to engage the end of the plug. means for introducing air around said hollow stem. a valve disposed within the cylinder of the engine and having a hollow stem. and means connected with said last named hollow stem for introducing fuel into the interior of the engine.

'2. In an ignition device for internal combustion engines. a double wall casing having a threaded extension arranged to enter the spark plug opening of a cylinder. said casing having laterally extending threaded extensions. a spark plug carried by one of said laterally extending threaded extensions, an inlet plug carried by the other laterally extending threaded extension. said inlet plug beingproxided with a movable hollow valve stem having laterally extending openings and being provided at its end with a valve arranged to engage the end of the plu means for introducing air around said hollow stem. a valve disposed within the cylinder of the engine and having a hollow stem, means connected with said last named hollow stem for introducing fuel into the interior of the engine. and spring means for regulating the tension of the last named valve.

3. In an ignition device for internal combustion engines, a double wall casing hav ing a threaded extension arranged to enter the spark plug opening of a cylinder, said casing having laterally extending threaded extensions. a spark plug carried by one of said laterally extending threaded extensions, an inlet plug carried by the other laterally extending threaded extension. said inlet plug being provided with a movable hollow valve stem having laterally extending openings and being provided at its end with a valve arranged to engage the end of the plug. means for introducing air around said hollow stem. a valve disposed within the cylinder of the engine and having a hollow stem. means connected with said lastnamed hollow stein for introducing fuel into the interior of the engine, spring means for regulating the tension of the last named 'alve, and'means for locking the tension adjusting means of the last named valve.

4. In an ignition device for internal combustion engines, a double walled casing ha ving a threaded extension arr: nged to enter the spark plug opening of the engine cylinder, said casing having laterally extending threaded extensions, a spark plug carried by one of said laterally extending threaded extensions, an inlet plug carried by the other laterally extending threaded extension, said inlet plug being provided with a movable hollow valve stem having laterally extending openings and being provided at its end with a valve arranged to engage the end of the plug, spring means for holding said valve normally against the plug, pas sages in said inlet plug around said hollow stem, a valve disposed within the cylinder of the engine and having a hollow stem, and means connected with said last named hollow stem for introducing fuel into the interior of the engine.

5. In an ignition device for internal combustion engines, a double walled casing havfor introducing air ing threaded extensions arranged to enter the spark plug opening of the engine cylinder, said engine having laterally extending threaded extensions, a spark plug carried by one of said laterally extending threaded extensions, an inlet plug carried by the other laterally extending threaded extension, sai inlet plug being provided with a movable hollow valve stem having laterally extending openings and being provided at its end with a valve arranged to engage the end of the plug, spring means for holding said valve normally against the plug, passages in said inlet plug for introducing air around said hollow stem, a valve disposed Within the cylinder of the engine and having a hollow stem, means connected with the said last named hollow stem for introducing fuel into the interior of the engine, spring means for regulating the tension of the last named valve, and a locknut for locking the spring adjusting means of the last named valve in position.

FRANK V. EASTMAN.

Witnesses:

A. K. COOK, ROY V. SELLERS. 

